Ohio Sen. JD Vance gets VP vetting papers from Trump campaign as running mate search heats up

The Donald Trump campaign has stepped up its vice presidential search, requesting detailed information from at least four of the top contenders including Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

In addition to Vance, who lives in Cincinnati and grew up in Middletown, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott have all been asked to submit background information to the Trump campaign, according to two people familiar with the process.

Trump cited those four names in an interview on Tuesday with Newsmax. The presumptive Republican nominee said he would probably hold off on an official announcement until the Republican convention July 15-18 in Milwaukee.

More: From 'Hillbilly Elegy' to the White House? How JD Vance landed on Trump's VP shortlist

"We've had so many great people out there," Trump said in the interview.

Sources cautioned the situation is fluid and could always change, given Trump's mercurial nature.

The campaign has increased activity on the running mate front now that his hush money trial is over. A New York jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records in order to hide hush money payments to an adult film star from voters, all in an effort to influence the 2016 election.

Vance was traveling with Trump on Thursday for a fundraiser in Silicon Valley that he organized for the former president, according to a source familiar with his plans. He was also the "special guest" at a fundraiser for Trump in the Cincinnati area last month.

"I think it's really important that we reelect Donald Trump, and I think I can do a very good job for the people of Ohio and also supporting the broader Trump agenda from the perch of the United States Senate," Vance told Scripps News in May. "We'll see what happens. If he asks me, certainly I'd be interested, but he hasn't asked me yet."

Who is JD Vance?

Vance, 39, was first elected in 2022 after defeating former Rep. Tim Ryan for Ohio's open U.S. Senate seat. Before his entrance into politics, Vance was best known for his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," which detailed a childhood plagued by drug addiction, abuse and poverty in Middletown.

Vance won Trump’s support in a messy GOP primary despite his past, critical comments of the former president. For example, he once opined whether Trump could be "America’s Hitler" and compared him to an opioid in a 2016 column in for the Atlantic.

Now, Vance is one of Trump’s top allies in the Senate. He frequently defends Trump in cable news interviews, particularly in the wake of his New York conviction.

Vance is also close with Republican businessman Bernie Moreno, who is taking on Sen. Sherrod Brown this November. Trump endorsed Moreno in that race.

Who else may be on the list?

Trump and his aides have discussed a number of other possible running mates, including Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and former housing secretary Ben Carson.

One other name has been discouraged by Trump: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a fierce primary rival of the former president.

Trump said on Newsmax: "As far as Nikki's concerned, I was very disappointed in her because she stayed too long."

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Sen. JD Vance being vetted by Trump campaign as VP search heats up